Early Mistakes In Video Game History

The expansion of games from mainly mechanical to electronic means was inevitable. It was not an easy transition, however. There were roadblocks around every turn, and the future was never clear. The electronic game industry was new, and so were the customers, so creating stirring games was a challenge. Some strategies worked, and others failed. Being able to look back on the industry as it first emerged grants us 20/20 vision on what went right, and what went wrong. Armed with this view, we can take a look and see how we might have done things differently.

I think the biggest change that could have been made would have been a shift in the target market earlier. Though electronic games first appeared as a competitor for mechanical pinball, they didn’t need to stay there. Because electronic games were placed right along side pinball machines, they suffered the same negative press. The games were introduced into an already crowded market space, when they could have opened the doors on completely uncontested market space a lot sooner.

The market space I speak of is the home entertainment market. Kent (2001) noted that although the Magnavox Odyssey dove into this space early on, the poor decision to advertise the system in such a way that made it appear to only work on Magnavox televisions, and the exclusive deal with Magnavox retailers stifled the system’s growth (80). The market sat uncontested for three years until Atari entered in 1975 with Home Pong. During those years, Atari made great strides in video entertainment with arcade Pong and others, but missed out on the valuable opportunity.

The technology was already available. The transition from mechanical to electronic games meant that sizes and weights were already coming down. This meant that systems became smaller and easier to maintain. Magnavox had already proven, though crudely, that arcade machines could work on home televisions. The home market was ripe.

Directly delivering these games into the home would have avoided the problems surrounding the games residing in pool halls and bars. Marketing to children would have come next naturally, and a lot sooner than Bushnell’s Chuck-E-Cheese’s. I think Atari would have experienced unrestrained growth in the fresh market space had they seen the opportunity earlier on.

Video games in the home are a common thing now, but at the time it was unheard of. Having witnessed what happened at the beginning of the industry, I say I would have hit the home market a lot sooner.

References

Kent, S.L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games. New York: Three Rivers Press